BRIEF: Post 120 explodes late for victory

STEWARDSON — Fifteen Post 120 hits and nine errors proved a combustible combination for the Stewardson A's on Monday, as the Effingham Senior American Legion team stayed hot with 21-5 road victory.

Stewardson looked to be in good shape after five innings of play, as the A's enjoyed a 5-3 lead.

But then the wheels fell off.

Effingham (16-5) scored nine runs in the sixth to take the lead and blew the game wide open with nine more in the seventh. By the time the dust settled, Stewardson's two-run lead had become a 16-run deficit.

Balance was the story for the Post 120 offense, as five players had at least two RBIs and four players had at least four hits.

Nick Gardewine led the way, finishing with two singles, two doubles and three RBIs. Gardewine has piled up 10 RBIs in Post 120's past three games after driving in seven in a doubleheader sweep of Bridgeport on Saturday (see page B3 for story).

Mark Niebrugge added three hits, including a double, and three RBIs, and Devin Wright had three singles and two RBIs. Austin Hayes chipped in with two hits and three RBIs.

Alec Quandt picked up the win, recovering from a tough start to allow just five hits.